clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
More Maps

Get In the Holiday Spirit at These Pop-Up Bars Around Boston

Where to Dine Gluten-Free in Boston

Where to Slurp Ramen Around Boston

More in Boston See more maps
A sandwich with bright orange toasted bread and a sprinkling of white feta on top, with a small Mexican flag stuck in the middle of the sandwich.
The pambazo at Pátzcuaro in Newton.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

11 Outstanding Mexican Restaurants Around Boston

Tacos, tortas, tamales, and tetelas make Mexico feel much closer than it is

by Erika Adams and Stephanie Carter Updated
View as Map
The pambazo at Pátzcuaro in Newton.
| Erika Adams/Eater Boston
by Erika Adams and Stephanie Carter Updated

Though Boston lies a long way from Mexico, quality Mexican food is easier than ever to find in the city. With tortas, tacos, pozole, and more, the Boston area has plenty of options. Here are 11 outstanding stops for Mexican food in and around Boston.

See also: 14 of Boston’s Top Tacos

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

La Victoria Taqueria

Copy Link

Hefty tortas stuffed with savory items like Mexican sausage and melted cheese on yeasty rolls fly out of the kitchen at Veracruz-born Alex Barrientos’s speedy taqueria. Meanwhile, fish tacos, a favorite, are laced with chipotle mayo, bright salsa verde, and crunchy cabbage and radishes.

12 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474
(781) 859-5503
(781) 859-5503

La Brasa

Copy Link

Chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez, a native of Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, fans the flames at La Brasa, a wood-fired, Mexican-rooted restaurant that pivots in tune with the New England seasons. The tortillas are made to order with fresh masa; no table is complete without at least one stack.

124 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 764-1412
(617) 764-1412

Also featured in:

Barra

Copy Link

Cozy in a space that formerly housed a juice bar in Union Square, Barra packs a big, refined punch into its small digs. On the menu, diners find tetelas, triangle-shaped corn pockets filled with refried beans and Oaxaca cheese alongside cactus salad and grasshoppers. Cochinita pibil in banana leaves tastes like the Yucatan; spicy grilled octopus meets black aioli on a crunchy tostada; and an espresso martini is made with rumchata. Plus, a divine selection of mezcal and tequila helped earn this bar Eater Boston’s award for best new bar in 2021.

23a Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143

Also featured in:

Taquería Jalisco

Copy Link

Taqueria Jalisco feels old-school, with menu items illustrated with photos of the dishes, but that’s just why people flock there. Birria tacos, invigorating pozole, and more fill this menu of outstanding Mexican flavors.

291 Bennington St, Boston, MA 02128
(617) 567-6367
(617) 567-6367

Also featured in:

Angela's Cafe

Copy Link

In East Boston’s sunshine yellow Mexican cafe, the elaborate mole poblano is a treasured tradition passed down from the restaurant’s late matriarch’s own mother. Meanwhile, the cafe serves warming pozole, chilaquiles, and seasonal dishes like chiles en nogada (a fried poblano pepper filled with picadillo, covered in walnut cream sauce, and jeweled with shiny pomegranate seeds). There’s plenty of booze to wash it down — such as a coconut margarita, Mexican coffee, and a dulce de leche martini.

131 Lexington St, Boston, MA 02128
(617) 567-4972
(617) 567-4972

Taqueria El Amigo

Copy Link

This tucked-away, tiny taqueria serves big flavors and often buzzes with people clamoring for a taste off its sought-after menu. Tacos are filled with tongue, cheek, and more. There will likely be a line that stretches out the door; it’s worth the wait.

196 Willow St, Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 642-7410
(781) 642-7410

Also featured in:

Tenoch Mexican

Copy Link

For years, sibling owners Alvaro and Andrés Sandoval have set a high standard with Boston’s most cherished tortas — soft, warm telera bread stuffed with flavor-packed carnitas (or choose from nearly a dozen other options), beans, chipotle mayo, tangy pickled onions, fresh avocado, and gooey Oaxacan cheese. The menu also includes stand-out tacos, burritos, Mexican beers, and more.

3 Lewis St, Boston, MA 02109
(617) 248-9537
(617) 248-9537

Pátzcuaro Taqueria & Bar

Copy Link

Named after the beautiful lakeside city in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Pátzcuaro is a charming Newton restaurant with a devoted local following. The picturesque pambazo, with sandwich bread soaked in a guajillo chile sauce and then fried, is especially great here.

398-400 Watertown St, Newton, MA 02458
(857) 297-2079
(857) 297-2079
A sandwich with bright orange toasted bread and a sprinkling of white feta on top, with a small Mexican flag stuck in the middle of the sandwich.
Pátzcuaro’s pambazo.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Also featured in:

Villa Mexico Cafe

Copy Link

Villa Mexico founder Julie King has been running her lauded taqueria for over 20 years. While cooking out of a gas station years ago, King gained a following for gas station burritos and ink-hued salsa negra, which is available to take home by the jar. The grilled burritos, served for breakfast and lunch, are a must-order.

121 Water St, Boston, MA 02109
(617) 957-0725
(617) 957-0725

Also featured in:

Casa Romero

Copy Link

Casa Romera is an old-school, upscale Mexican restaurant accessible through a public alleyway just off of Newbury Street. The intimate, subterranean space is a welcome setting for tables laden with tacos, flautas, enchiladas, and many drinks from the killer tequila list.

30 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 536-4341
(617) 536-4341
A blue and white patterned plate with a poblano pepper cooked and stuffed with melty cheese.
Casa Romero’s chile relleno.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Also featured in:

El Centro Mexican Restaurant

Copy Link

The color-splashed dining room at El Centro radiates warmth with Mexican art, housemade tortillas, and pours of micheladas. Raised in the north of Mexico in a family with restaurants in Hermosillo, Mexico, chef and co-owner Allan Rodriguez lays the table at El Centro with dishes from his home state of Sonora — like carne asada tacos and caramelos (tacos made with grilled beef and topped with melted cheese), as well as moles inspired by those found in Oaxaca, and street snacks from central and southern regions of Mexico. Do not leave without ordering at least one round of empanadas for the table.

472 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118
(617) 262-5708
(617) 262-5708

More in Maps

© 2023 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Link copied to the clipboard.

La Victoria Taqueria

12 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474

Hefty tortas stuffed with savory items like Mexican sausage and melted cheese on yeasty rolls fly out of the kitchen at Veracruz-born Alex Barrientos’s speedy taqueria. Meanwhile, fish tacos, a favorite, are laced with chipotle mayo, bright salsa verde, and crunchy cabbage and radishes.

12 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474
(781) 859-5503
(781) 859-5503

La Brasa

124 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145

Chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez, a native of Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, fans the flames at La Brasa, a wood-fired, Mexican-rooted restaurant that pivots in tune with the New England seasons. The tortillas are made to order with fresh masa; no table is complete without at least one stack.

124 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 764-1412
(617) 764-1412

Barra

23a Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143

Cozy in a space that formerly housed a juice bar in Union Square, Barra packs a big, refined punch into its small digs. On the menu, diners find tetelas, triangle-shaped corn pockets filled with refried beans and Oaxaca cheese alongside cactus salad and grasshoppers. Cochinita pibil in banana leaves tastes like the Yucatan; spicy grilled octopus meets black aioli on a crunchy tostada; and an espresso martini is made with rumchata. Plus, a divine selection of mezcal and tequila helped earn this bar Eater Boston’s award for best new bar in 2021.

23a Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143

Taquería Jalisco

291 Bennington St, Boston, MA 02128

Taqueria Jalisco feels old-school, with menu items illustrated with photos of the dishes, but that’s just why people flock there. Birria tacos, invigorating pozole, and more fill this menu of outstanding Mexican flavors.

291 Bennington St, Boston, MA 02128
(617) 567-6367
(617) 567-6367

Angela's Cafe

131 Lexington St, Boston, MA 02128

In East Boston’s sunshine yellow Mexican cafe, the elaborate mole poblano is a treasured tradition passed down from the restaurant’s late matriarch’s own mother. Meanwhile, the cafe serves warming pozole, chilaquiles, and seasonal dishes like chiles en nogada (a fried poblano pepper filled with picadillo, covered in walnut cream sauce, and jeweled with shiny pomegranate seeds). There’s plenty of booze to wash it down — such as a coconut margarita, Mexican coffee, and a dulce de leche martini.

131 Lexington St, Boston, MA 02128
(617) 567-4972
(617) 567-4972

Taqueria El Amigo

196 Willow St, Waltham, MA 02453

This tucked-away, tiny taqueria serves big flavors and often buzzes with people clamoring for a taste off its sought-after menu. Tacos are filled with tongue, cheek, and more. There will likely be a line that stretches out the door; it’s worth the wait.

196 Willow St, Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 642-7410
(781) 642-7410

Tenoch Mexican

3 Lewis St, Boston, MA 02109

For years, sibling owners Alvaro and Andrés Sandoval have set a high standard with Boston’s most cherished tortas — soft, warm telera bread stuffed with flavor-packed carnitas (or choose from nearly a dozen other options), beans, chipotle mayo, tangy pickled onions, fresh avocado, and gooey Oaxacan cheese. The menu also includes stand-out tacos, burritos, Mexican beers, and more.

3 Lewis St, Boston, MA 02109
(617) 248-9537
(617) 248-9537

Pátzcuaro Taqueria & Bar

398-400 Watertown St, Newton, MA 02458

Named after the beautiful lakeside city in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Pátzcuaro is a charming Newton restaurant with a devoted local following. The picturesque pambazo, with sandwich bread soaked in a guajillo chile sauce and then fried, is especially great here.

398-400 Watertown St, Newton, MA 02458
(857) 297-2079
(857) 297-2079
A sandwich with bright orange toasted bread and a sprinkling of white feta on top, with a small Mexican flag stuck in the middle of the sandwich.
Pátzcuaro’s pambazo.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Villa Mexico Cafe

121 Water St, Boston, MA 02109

Villa Mexico founder Julie King has been running her lauded taqueria for over 20 years. While cooking out of a gas station years ago, King gained a following for gas station burritos and ink-hued salsa negra, which is available to take home by the jar. The grilled burritos, served for breakfast and lunch, are a must-order.

121 Water St, Boston, MA 02109
(617) 957-0725
(617) 957-0725

Casa Romero

30 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115

Casa Romera is an old-school, upscale Mexican restaurant accessible through a public alleyway just off of Newbury Street. The intimate, subterranean space is a welcome setting for tables laden with tacos, flautas, enchiladas, and many drinks from the killer tequila list.

30 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 536-4341
(617) 536-4341
A blue and white patterned plate with a poblano pepper cooked and stuffed with melty cheese.
Casa Romero’s chile relleno.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

El Centro Mexican Restaurant

472 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118

The color-splashed dining room at El Centro radiates warmth with Mexican art, housemade tortillas, and pours of micheladas. Raised in the north of Mexico in a family with restaurants in Hermosillo, Mexico, chef and co-owner Allan Rodriguez lays the table at El Centro with dishes from his home state of Sonora — like carne asada tacos and caramelos (tacos made with grilled beef and topped with melted cheese), as well as moles inspired by those found in Oaxaca, and street snacks from central and southern regions of Mexico. Do not leave without ordering at least one round of empanadas for the table.

472 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118
(617) 262-5708
(617) 262-5708

Related Maps